De Vos wins Tour de Delta Road Race

Pictures: Scott Robarts Photography

Victoria, B.C.’s Adam de Vos snuck away from the field to win the White Spot Delta Road Race solo on Sunday. De Vos’s win gave Rally Cycling the win in the first UCI race on the BC Superweek schedule, and the team’s sixth podium since the week long series started on Friday.

In the Women’s White Spot Delta Road Race, Team Tibco’s Kendell Ryan landed her third straight win at this year’s BC Superweek, completing a perfect sweep of the Tour de Delta events. It’s Ryan’s second Delta Road Race victory after winning the event in 2017. The three-time U.S. national champion joins Canada’s Joelle Numainville as the only two women to win all three Tour de Delta races in the same year.

Rally Cycling swarms the podium: Men’s 2018 White Spot Delta Road Race

When Adam de Vos crossed the finishing line first in the White Spot Delta Road Race, the Rally Cycling rider pointed at his new tattoo: a fox chasing a rabbit. The fresh ink represents de Vos’s nickname, “Sneaky Fox,” which he earned after another solo escape at the Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia.

The moniker proved accurate again in Tsawwassen, as de Vos rolled off the front of a the group in the final kilometres of Sunday’s road race to become BC Superweek’s first Canadian winner in 2018.

“It’s the first UCI race that I’ve raced at where I’ve slept in my own bed, so it’s pretty cool to win here. I grew up in Victoria, raced in the Lower Mainland with Trek Red Truck and H&R Block for a number of years, my aunt and uncle used to live on the course in Tsawwassen, so it’s a cool race to win for me” de Vos said following his win.

The last half of the 155.46km race saw multiple attacks and breaks, with Rally Cycling riders near the front each time.

It wasn’t until the final lap when de Vos, instead of sending a full-gas attack, rolled steadily off the front of the group. Only Kaler Marshall, a guest rider for the local Vancouver team Langlois Brown was able to follow. The 32-year-old followed de Vos up the road, but couldn’t match the pace of Rally’s young Canadian.

It was enough for second, though, as Marshall held off the chasing group behind.

Rally Cycling added to de Vos’s win with Eric Young taking third in the Road Race. It was Young’s third straight podium finish at the Tour de Delta after winning Saturday’s Ladner Crit and Friday’s North Delta Crit.

 

Ryan makes it three: Women’s 2018 White Spot Delta Road Race

After opening BC Superweek with two criterium wins in Tour de Delta, American Kendall Ryan (Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank) kept the streak going in Sunday’s White Spot Delta Road Race. Ryan covered the 103.6km course in 2:43.30 to claim her thirk consecutive win in BC Superweek. It was a repeat performance for Ryan, who also won the 2017 edition of the race.

With several strong sprint teams controlling the pace, the first UCI event in this years BC Superweek seemed destined for a sprint. Ryan was happy to oblige, and her Tibco teammates set her up perfectly to storm to the win in the races final metres.

Lily Williams, riding for Hagens Berman-Spearmint, finished second in Sunday’s bunch sprint. In third, Rally Cycling’s Kirsti Lay. The Calgary, Alberta rider added a second podium to her weekend after finishing second in Saturday’s Ladner Criterium, also part of the three event Tour de Delta.

BC Superweek continues Tuesday with the New West Grand Prix. The women’s race starts at 6:15 pm PST and the men begin at 7:30 pm, also Pacific Standard Time.

BC Superweek features nine races over ten days in B.C.’s lower mainland. Canada’s biggest professional road cycling series features $140, 000 in prizing for the races running from 6 – 15 July. BC Superweek includes Tour de Delta presented by Brodie (July 6 – 8), New West Grand Prix (July 10), Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix (11 July), Giro di Burnaby presented by Appia Development (12 July), PoCo Grand Prix presented by Dominion Lending Centres (13 July), and Tour de White Rock presented by Landmark Premiere Properties (14 – 15 July).​